Kolkata, Sep 11 (IANS) The Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW), West Bengal, has ordered a high-level probe into the deaths of two adult tigresses at Kolkata’s iconic zoological garden at Alipore in South Kolkata.

The two tigresses died within a period of 24 hours between the nights of Tuesday and Wednesday.

Although the state forest department has officially claimed that the deaths of both tigresses were due to their old age, doubts are being raised over the short interval between the two deaths, with many wildlife enthusiasts doubting that the deaths were unnatural.

Considering the controversy on the issue, the CWLW, West Bengal, has ordered a detailed probe into the matter and the formation of a separate committee to investigate.

The two dead tigresses are ‘Payel’ and ‘Rupa’. Out of them, the latter was an albino tigress. Payel died first on Tuesday night, while Rupa died on Wednesday night. At the time of their deaths, Rupa was 21 years old, while Payel was 17 years old.

“The bodies of the tigresses have been sent for autopsy to determine the exact causes of their deaths. Viscera tests will also be conducted,” said a senior official from the state forest department.

Payal was brought to the Zoo Alipore from Nandankanan in Odisha in 2016. A zoological garden insider said that for the last few months, she had been suffering from age-related ailments, and her food intake had become irregular.

“She went through an ultrasound sonography test at that time and then went through a treatment process for some time. She even started responding to the treatment. However, her conditions started deteriorating over the last few days, and she ultimately died on Tuesday, the Zoological Garden insider said.

On the other hand, albino tigress, Rupa, was born in Alipore Zoo only. Her mother was ‘Krishna’, and her father was ‘Anirban’, an albino tiger. “She was also suffering from age-related ailments, with one of her legs becoming paralyzed a few months back,” the zoological garden insider said.

The Alipore Zoo had been in the midst of controversy during the last few months for two reasons.

The first reason was over allegations of missing animals from there. As per reports, as many as 321 animals disappeared from the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata overnight.

The second controversy was over allegations that the West Bengal government was illegally trying to sell land belonging to Alipore Zoo to private entrepreneurs at throwaway prices. Last month, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court ruled that the land of the said zoological garden could not be used for commercial purposes till further court orders.

The allegation that the West Bengal government was illegally trying to sell the land of the Alipore Zoo was first raised by the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari. He alleged that an attempt was being made to sell 50 kothas of land in that prime place in the city against a meagre amount of just Rs 1,000 crore.

–IANS

src/dpb